Loom harness



Patented Aug. 4, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFECE FREDERICK GORDON COBB, OF LANCASTER, SOUTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR TO GARLAND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MAINE LOOM HARNESS Application filed August 16, 1928. Serial No. 299,909.

This improvement relates to a loom harness more particularly adapted for use in looms equipped for producing high sleyed goods; that is, goods requiring 72 to 80' or more Warp threads per inch, but may be used in lower sleyed products to advantage and when so desired. In weaving cotton, woolen, silk or other fabrics, the quality of the product is determined to a large extent, by the number of warp threads per inch; and the eiiiciency of operation as well as the quality of the output is determined largely by the way the warp threads are handled by the harness. For instance, when using s yarn in the manufacture of cloth requiring 80 threads per inch, it has been impossible with t e ordinary harness to increase the output beyond a certain amount because, as a result of chafing and excessive breakage operators cannot attend a su-fiicient number of machines. Excessive chafing of the Warp threads results from crowding the threads in passing them through. the harness, by which they are controlled, because the eyes of the ordinary harness are not mounted with sufficient flexibility. It will be understood that in ordinary weaving, the warp threads are divided into two equal groups, that is, one half of the threads are up while the other half are down; and at each revolution of the loom the positions of the threads are reversed, that is, the down threads become the up threads. Changing the position of the warp threads, one set is moved past the other, with the result that there is more or less rubbing and chafing of the threads and harness eyes, which wears out the eyes and, when excessive, will cause some of the warp threads to become broken. In the manufacture of loom harness, the most practical material has been found to be cotton yarn and the larger or coarser the yarn used, the longer the harness eyes, which are the vital part or" the harness, will last. However, for making cloth requiring 80 threads or more per inch, the harness should be made of as small or fine a yarn as practicable in order to leave as much room for the warp threads as possible, so as to reduce the chafing. The loom harness consists of a plurality of yarn loops forming eyes, supported by strands of the yarn, substantially mid-way between the two wooden shafts or bars, each harness so mounted being known as a shade. Straps are adapted to be secured to the two shafts or bars for moving the harness up and down in the loom. In ordinary weaving, two shades or sets of harness are employed, one for each half of the warp threads. As explained above, however, in weaving high sleyed goods; that is, cloth requiring, for instance, 80 threads per inch, it is necessary to have 40 eyes per inch in each shade in order to carry halt the warp threads, and this results in such crowding of the eyes that excessive chafing and breakage of warp threads frequently occurs. One means which has been adopted of overcoming this difiiculty, and reduce the chafing and breakage, is to use four shades instead of two, thereby enabling the harness to be knitted with 20 eyes per inch on each shade instead of 40 eyes per inch. for goods requiring threads per inch. Under these circumstances, the two shades are fastened together in the loom and are shifted together as one shade; but instead of two shades carrying all the warp threads, there are two shades carrying each half of the warp threads and hence two shades moving up and two shades moving down. This arrangement, of course, gives the yarns more room because the harness eyes are not so crowded and greatly reduced chafing and breaking of the warp threads, and in a large number of mills has become common practice. However, it will be understood that it means double expense, in that two extra shades or sets of harness are required and additional mechanical problems are involved in the operation of the loom, particularly 'when tying warp threads that may be broken or in replacing worn or broken harness eyes. Furthermore, in mounting two shades or harnesses together to operate as one, it is diflicult, if not impossible, to so arrange them that the eyes on the two shades are not more or less directly in line, thus requiring the warp threads to bend around the other shade after passing through the eyes of one shade. The object, therefore, of my improvement is to provide :an improved harness which, to a large extent, will eliminate the difiiculties hereinbefore referred to. In the prevailing type of harness which has been in use for many years, the eyes are formed of doubled yarns having a single knot tied therein to define the eye,

the two ends of the yarn from the knot being carried over a wooden bar or shaft on opposite sides thereof and fastened together or knitted. The eye is supported in the opposite direction by passing a loop of yarn through the eye and carrying the'two ends thereof over another wooden bar or shaft,

but on the same side thereof, and tying or knitting them to the ends of the corresponding loop from the next adjacent eye. In manufacturing harnesses the consecutively formed and knitted eyes are located in this lack of sufiicient flexibility that produces excessive chafing and breaking of the warp threads, as previously explained. There fore, a. further object of my improvement is to provide a more flexible harness, in which the supporting yarns from the knot extend from the eye in substantially parallel relation and in the plane of the eye. In other words, the ends extending from the single knot of theeye pass over the shaft on the same side thereof, thus insuring greater flexibility and eliminating excessive chafing and breaking of warp threads. With my improved harness the production of high sleyed goods without excessive chafing and with- "out the use of more than two shades per loom is possible, thus reducing the cost of equipment. Another factor is the reduced cost of labor in that operator is required to install and handle only two shades instead .of four. Furthermore, it has been found in practice that my improved harness, being more flexible and less subject to wear lasts longer. Another important accomplishment is that by eliminating excessive chafing ithere is a reduction in the formation of lint and lint is known to interfere with satisfactory operation of the loom, particularly when the humidity in the weaving room is high. One of the principal advantages in the use of my improved harness is that operators are enabled to attend more machines, thus giving a larger out-put without any increase in overhead cost, and the amount of defective goods is reduced. These and other advantages in the use of my improved harness are obtained not only in the production of high sleyed goods, but my harness may be used advantageously with lower sleyed products, and in the production of either plain or drilled weaves. My improved loom harness is shown in the accompanying drawings the views indicating the method for producing the improved harness. Fig. 1 represents the harness as knitted and the first step in the production of my improved harness; Fig. 2 shows a further step where the crossed threads are moved to the right and the adjacent shaft about to be removed; Fig. 3 shows a side elevation with shafts in section of my improved harness; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the improved harness. The manufactured harnesses are mounted upon and supported-by two wooden bars or shafts by which they are fastened in the loom, the harnesses on each pair of shafts being called a shade. In order to show the present method of making my improved loom harness, the harness as it has been constructed for many years, is shown in Fig. l where it will be seen that the eyes A are formed by loopin a yarn and tying a single knot B therein. The ends C and D of the yarn from the knot B, are carried around the shaft or bar E, forming one of the supports for the harness, one strand of the yarn passing above and'one below the bar; and the ends of the yarn are knitted or otherwise secured together at F, back of the bar E. At the same time that the ends C and D of the yarn from the knot in and theends K and L thereof carried over the supporting bar or shaft M, on the same side thereof, and the supporting loop from the eyes on both sides I of the shaft are knitted together at N. In manufacturing or knitting the harness, it will be understood that the eyes A alternate or follow in succession on opposite sides of the shafts E and M, I

so that the eyes on one side are not in alignment with the eyes on, the other side. A11

' illustrated in perspective in Fig. 4.

assembled harness or shade provides a plurality of eyes substantially in two planes on opposite sides of the supporting shafts. The relation between the opposite eyes is shown in perspective in Fig. 4. This crossing of the yarns D, at the point G, it will be seen, forms a cantilever or braced construction from the shaft E, supporting the respective eyes on opposite sides of the shafts.

. By this construction the supports for the yarns at G of the ordinary loom harness as manufactured. To illustrate this process, reference may be had to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, from which it will be seen that if, as shown in Fig. 1, a third or auxiliary shaft 0 is inserted between the two shafts E and M and between the eyes on opposite sides of the shafts, and moved toward the right, as shown in Fig. 2, the crossed yarns are separated and pushed out into parallel relation, and upon withdrawing the shaft E and moving the auxiliary shaft 0 out to the position previously occupied thereby, my improved harness is produced and, as in Fig. 3, the strands C and D of the yarns extending from the knots B are located on the same face or side of the supporting bar or auxiliary shaft 0 and substantially in the plane of the eyes. The harness thus formed, and representing my improved harness, is

A comparison of the old and new harness may be made by comparing Figs. 1 and 3. In Fig. 1, it will be seen that the yarns or strands extending from the knots B, for each eye,

pass one below and one above the shaft E,

while in Figs. 3 and 4:, both strands from the eye pass or lie on the same side of the auxiliary shaft 0. VVit-h this improved construction, it will be seen that the harness eyes have a reater degree of fiexibilit both latb in erally and in the line of the warp passing therethrough. This, as previously indicated, has the advantage of reducing chafing and permitting the operation of machines with two shades instead of four while producing high sleyed goods. For operation in the loom, the shafts O and M of my improved harness are provided with the usual metal screw eyes and mounted in the loom i in the usual way, that is, by means of straps passing through the screw eyes, otherwise the loom is operated as heretofore. My improved harness, however, may be used with advantage for manufacturing goods of medium and higher sleys and particularly those having 80 or more threads to the inch, and so used will result in a marked reduction in the production of faulty goods and with the advantages hereinbefore referred to. Furthermore, itwill be understood that while one form of my improved loom harness and one method of manufacturing it has been described, it is obvious that I do not wish to be limited thereby for obviously, any suitable method of n'ianu'l'acture that will place the strands of yarn on the same side of the respective shafts may be employed and while I have s ic-wn my improved harness knitted as the ordinary harness knitted, I do not wish to be limited to the specific details shown, for these may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim 1. An improved loom harness comprising interlooped eye supporting strands of yarn, eyes formed integral with half the interlooped strands by single knots therein near where the strands interloop, the other half of the interlooped strands passing through said eyes, and shafts over which said strands extend for supporting said harness, the supporting strand from both ends of the eyes being in the planes of the eyes and extending in parallel relation over the respective shafts on the same side thereof thereby permitting limited motion of the eyes transversely of the supporting strands.

2. A loom harness comprising eyes integral with loops in supporting strands of yarn, single knots in the strands of the loops forming the eyes to terminate the eyes, the strands of yarn from the knots extending outward from the eyes substantially in the plane of the latter, supporting strands of yarn interlooping said eyes and extending in the planes of the eyes in the opposite direction from the knot strands, and shafts for supporting the harness with the eyes in opposite face planes thereof and over which the respective supporting strands extend in parallel relation thereby permitting limited motion of the eyes transversely of the supporting strands.

3. An improved loom harness comprising a pair of supporting shafts, a plurality of interlooped strands of yarn supported by said shafts, a plurality of eyes formed integral with one half the interlooped strands of yarn which extend in parallel relation on opposite face planes of one of said shafts, the strands of yarn from the other ends of the eyes extending therefrom in the planes of the eyes and passing over the other of said shafts in parallel relation, thereby permitting limited motion of the eyes transversely of the supporting strands, and means for securing said supporting strands together back of the respective shafts.

ill)

4. An improved loom harness comprising a pair of shafts for supporting the harness, eyes lying in opposite face planes of the shafts and formed integral with supporting strands of yarn, the eyes being terminated at one end by knots in the strands, and supported on said shafts by the strands extending from the knots and by strands interlooped with the eyes at the ends opposite the knots, said supporting strands from both ends of the eyes being in the planes of the eyes and passing in parallel relation over the respective shafts thereby permitting limited motion of the eyes transversely of the supporting strands.

F. GORDON COBB. 

